According to the reports I've read on this merger. AOL had to report all
the acquisition cost in one quarter; they couldn't spread out the costs. I
believe it is due to new reporting rules setup by the SEC in-light of the
Enron problem.
-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Gudewicz [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, May 02, 2002 10:03 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] SKC Morphs Again... We're Now SKHPC
Someone reminded me today of a rather large merger that went the wrong way.
AOL / Time Warner now claiming losses in the $54 billion (yes billion)
range.
Wonder what the shareholders were told before that merger?
Dave...
"Ben Myers" <[log in to unmask]> wrote in message
news:3cd15f69.11242235@news.charter.net...
> Dave,
>
> It was the Spanish philosopher, Santayana, who said: "He who does not
learn from
> history is doomed to repeat it." Actually, he may have said something
quite
> different in Spanish, but that's the way it is usually translated into
English
> (and much the same in Italian, BTW, according to my long-ago colleagues in
> Italy).
>
> A computer industry merger that actually worked? Wow, that's a tough one.
The
> closest I can come are the various buyouts made by Symantec (Peter Norton
> Computing, Central Point Software, and Microsoft (e.g. Bauer's Postscript
clone,
> now named TrueType), and those buyouts were so private that nobody on the
> outside ever got to know the ensuing internal carnage, layoffs, etc. By
what
> criteria does a merger work, anyway? Increased revenue? Level or
increasing
> headcount? Survival of the merged entity for a few years?
>
> Here are a few of the brand names now absorbed into HPaq: Apollo, Tandem,
DEC,
> Compaq, Thomas-Conrad. Any others?
>
> A computer HARDWARE merger that actually worked? I think we're talking
about
> the null set here, not to increase with HPaq... Ben Myers
>
> On Thu, 2 May 2002 10:28:05 -0500, "Dave Gudewicz"
<[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
> >Couldn't help but think after reading Ben's note:
> >
> >If we learn nothing from history, we are doomed to repeat it. Or
something
> >like that.
> >
> >Can anyone here enlighten us with a merger such as this that DID work?
And
> >to reiterate the obvious, the Compaq assimilation of DEC did NOT work.
> >
> >Dave...
> >
> >"Ben Myers" <[log in to unmask]> wrote in message
> >news:3cd14eee.7021958@news.charter.net...
> >> Well, whatever you call the newsletter, it should prove to be an
> >interesting
> >> chronicle of the on-going soap opera of one set of related mergers in
the
> >> computer industry. I lived thru one failed merger on a vastly smaller
> >scale:
> >> Honeywell, GE and Groupe Bull. What always seems to be missing in a
> >merger is a
> >> clear vision and strategic direction, because executives are too busy
> >fighting
> >> for their own corporate lives to think clearly. The blood and carnage
of
> >HPaq
> >> employees will be considerable once the wheels of this merger get
turning.
> >>
> >> ... Ben Myers
> >>
> >> On Wed, 01 May 2002 14:39:39 GMT, "Terry C. Shannon"
> ><[log in to unmask]>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> >Another year, another name change. We at Shannon Knows DEC, Shannon
Knows
> >> >Distributed Enterprise Computing, Shannon Knows Compaq, and now
Shannon
> >> >Knows HPC are getting used to the good old name game. And we hope that
> >you
> >> >Constant Readers will take the latest name change in stride. Here's
the
> >> >deal: Shannon Knows Compaq has withstood the rigors of two name
changes
> >plus
> >> >the economic angst of the thermonuclear winter incited by a wholesale
> >> >dot-com bombing. Acting on the news yesterday that the Delaware
Chancery
> >> >Court has given Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of Compaq a go-ahead,
SKC
> >has
> >> >changed its name to Shannon Knows High Performance Computing. HP, of
> >course,
> >> >can be construed as High Performance or Hewlett-Packard, which,
> >> >post-acquisition, will be Numero Uno in the High Performance Computing
> >> >arena. In the interest of brevity-plus a desire to coin a new
five-letter
> >> >acronym-we'll now operate under the SKHPC name. Extended "dance
version"
> >> >five-letter acronym aside, we'll continue to provide the same coverage
> >we've
> >> >been dishing out for the last nine years, plus even more. And for
those
> >of
> >> >you who wonder why we didn't opt for Shannon Knows HPS, it turns out
that
> >> >HPS is the acronym for Hewlett Packard Services! Thanks to a senior
> >Compaq
> >> >manager for pointing out this potential gaffe to us!
> >> >
> >> >--
> >> >Terry C. Shannon
> >> >Consultant and Publisher
> >> >Shannon Knows HPC
> >> >PLEASE NOTE MY *NEW* EMAIL ADDRESS
> >> >email: [log in to unmask]
> >> >Web (info on SKC): www.openvms.org, www.tru64.org
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >
> >
>
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